Motorcycle News, Editorials, Product Reviews and Bike Reviews

Troy Bayliss Returning to Racing at 48 Years of Age

Three-time WSB champion Troy Bayliss is making a comeback at the age of 48. Bayliss plans to contest the 2018 Australian Superbike Championship aboard a Ducati sponsored by his own team. Bayliss won his third, and final WSB title in 2008. Bayliss also won a MotoGP race in 2006 while substituting for the injured Sete Gibernau on the Ducati factory team.

Bayliss has ridden in the WSB championship in his 40s, and shown excellent, competitive speed. We will be watching his return to racing with interest.

32 Comments

TB is obviously not your average Joe – actually he is more of an alien in terms of skills and sportsmanship.

However he is 48 and I really hope he will not hurt himself as unavoidably he needs to compete with ultra talented young guns. This would not be a problem if aimed for a respectable result – the problem is that we all know he will aim to win!!

Micheal Schumacher need I say more…..oh but I will. The greatest racer of all time no is in a restive state from a skiing accident. I think when your number is up that’s it. The race is everything to race is to live , death waits regardless.

His win in the 2006 GP race was one of the most amazing things I’ve seen. He was a guest rider, and came in and kicked butt. Most guest riders would be thrilled to break the top 12. Healing from injuries gets harder and harder when as you age, believe me I know. However if anyone can do it, it’s Troy.

I hope he does well and stays healthy. I don’t know much about Aussie racing, but if it’s like MotoAmerica he’ll be fine, but racing has risks and I hope his luck holds out. I would guess he’d be more likely to get hurt club racing.

He’s still a Ducati ambasador and as a Triple WSB champion, not to mention one of the very few to have won at MotoGP and WSB, his fame and popularity is assured. Perhaps not for the mayfly fans of bike racing?

That his son is competing in the support 300cc class in Aussie Superbikes is a reason that the logistics work well for him.
I recall that being a family man influenced his decision to step away from the world championship racing schedule.

While older athletes have shown incredible abilities in retaining physical fitness, the little things that add up to that lost one percent (reflexes, eyesight, depth perception, neuro-muscular abilities, etc.) are the things that send guys to their graves when they don’t stop.

Wow 48 is getting pretty old to play that game. Hope things go well for him. Hard to overcome the youth and eagerness of 19 and 20 year olds at that age.

Fun fact: In his MotoGP win in 2006 he beat Rossi to the finish line by .002 secs. (2/1000ths of a sec) costing Rossi 5 points and likely the championship that year. If Rossi had won he and Nicky Hayden would have tied on points and Rossi would have won the WC by virtue of more wins than Hayden.

(before the Hayden fan boys jump all over me I’m just stating ONE of the “what ifs” of that season. There were many that could have taken the championship any number of directions like there are every year)!

Actually, he beat Capirossi… and by 1.3 seconds. Rossi was way down the finish order by 38 seconds.
.
Still, the highlight of the race was absolutely Bayliss on the boil with the bike wiggling under him the whole race. The bike was a wild beast and he definitely showed the bike who’s boss.
.
Capirossi’s last “good” race too. All downhill for him since then.
.
Looking forward to seeing what the Crocodile can do. Maybe put those young whippersnappers back in their place.